IRVINE, Calif. – Azusa Pacific was unanimously voted the PacWest preseason favorite with the duo of
Aaron Roose and
AJ Woodall being voted the Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, as the Cougars go for a fourth-consecutive PacWest title.
Concordia is picked second in the preseason poll followed by Biola and then Point Loma to round out the top-4. The 2022 baseball season starts on February 1 with Holy Names hosting Cal State Monterey Bay and Academy of Art traveling to Stanislaus State.
Azusa Pacific won three-consecutive titles from 2017 to 2019, and won last year’s AQ Pod Series as the Cougars look to keep the streak of PacWest titles going. Azusa Pacific is currently one of three programs to have won a record three PacWest baseball titles along with California Baptist and Dixie State.
Roose was named the NCBWA West Region Player of the Year, and Woodall earned the Pitcher of the Year award. Roose had a 1.137 OPS last year with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs. Meanwhile, Woodall earned an 8-1 record with a 2.04 ERA and 69 strikeouts as the Cougars went 33-10, earning a trip to the NCAA West Regional. Azusa Pacific is also represented on the Preseason All-PacWest team by
Omar Lopez, Casey Dykstra and
Korey Shepard.
Concordia is picked second with three returning starters from last year’s team that finished second in the SoCal Pod.
Evan Larsen was named to the Preseason All-PacWest team for Concordia after going 5-0 in nine starts last year. He struck out 59 batters in 46.1 innings pitched as the Eagles finished the season with a 21-15 record. Concordia also added three NCAA Division I transfers to the roster, including
Jorge Arellano, who won four games as a starting pitcher for UC Santa Barbara.
Biola’s roster will have a lot of new faces after the Eagles took third place in the SoCal Pod last year and are picked third in the PacWest this year. The Eagles lost a total of 14 players, but head coach
Jeff Calhoon has brought in a large class of recruits. Among those recruits is
Taylor Justus, who was the starting catcher for San Jose State last season.
Point Loma returns the PacWest Freshman of the Year
Otto Kemp, who represents the Sea Lions on the Preseason All-PacWest team. The Sea Lions are picked fourth in the preseason poll and return their entire infield from last year.
Baxter Halligan also earned a spot on the Preseason All-PacWest team for Point Loma.
Fresno Pacific took second place in the NorCal Pod last season and is picked fifth in the preseason poll.
Chase Pinheiro,
Matt McGrady and
Garrett Cooper were all voted onto the all-conference team. Pinheiro had a team-best .352 batting average last season, while McGrady led the team in home runs at 11.
Hawai`i Hilo won the Hawai`i Pod and is picked sixth, while NorCal Pod Champion Academy of Art is ranked seventh in the preseason poll. Holy Names and Hawai`i Pacific round out the voting for the preseason rankings. Holy Names landed two players on the Preseason All-PacWest team with
Jesus Hernandez and
Noah Barros each earning recognition.
Ty Conrad represents Academy of Art in the outfield on the all-conference team, and
Richard Higa is the All-PacWest second baseman for Hawai`i Pacific.
Following the two games on opening day next Tuesday, the season gets started for most teams over the weekend. Fresno Pacific will be hosting a four-game series against Western Oregon, and Azusa Pacific will host Northwest Nazarene after those two GNAC programs reached the NCAA West Regional last season.
The CCAA schools did not compete last year, so next week will be the first time a PacWest team has held a series against one of those schools since before the 2020 season was interrupted. Point Loma will play a home-and-away series against Cal State San Bernardino, hosting the two Saturday games. Meanwhile, Biola will be at Cal State Monterey Bay. On February 11, Concordia will start a series against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The conference season will start on Thursday, February 24 when familiar foes Hawai`i Hilo and Hawai`i Pacific play a five-game series with the first two counting as conference contests. That same weekend, Azusa Pacific will play a home-and-away series against Point Loma. The regular season will conclude on May 12 with Holy Names hosting a second doubleheader against Concordia.
| 2022 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST BASEBALL TEAM |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Class |
B/T |
Hometown/Previous School |
| Aaron Roose* |
Azusa Pacific |
C |
Sr. |
R/R |
Lancaster, Calif./Paraclete |
| Jesus Hernandez |
Holy Names |
1B |
Sr. |
L/L |
Pittsburg, Calif./Los Medanos |
| Richard Higa |
Hawai`i Pacific |
2B |
Jr. |
L/R |
Honolulu/University Lab |
| Otto Kemp |
Point Loma |
3B |
So. |
R/R |
Fullerton, Calif./Troy |
| Omar Lopez |
Azusa Pacific |
SS |
So. |
R/R |
Chula Vista, Calif./Otay Ranch |
| Ty Conrad |
Academy of Art |
OF |
Sr. |
R/R |
Hermosa Beach, Calif./Saint Mary’s |
| Casey Dykstra |
Azusa Pacific |
OF |
Sr. |
L/R |
Corona, Calif. |
| Chase Pinheiro |
Fresno Pacific |
OF |
So. |
L/R |
Clovis, Calif./Clovis North |
| Matt McGrady |
Fresno Pacific |
DH |
Sr. |
L/R |
Clovis, Calif./Buchanan |
| Noah Barros |
Holy Names |
SP |
Gr. |
R/R |
Prescott Valley, Ariz./Glendale |
| Evan Larsen |
Concordia |
SP |
Sr. |
R/R |
Costa Mesa, Calif./Cal State Fullerton |
| AJ Woodall^ |
Azusa Pacific |
SP |
Sr. |
L/L |
La Verne, Calif./UC Santa Barbara |
| Korey Shepard |
Azusa Pacific |
RP |
So. |
R/R |
Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View |
| Garrett Cooper |
Fresno Pacific |
UF |
Jr. |
R/R |
Kingsburg, Calif./Clovis North |
| Baxter Halligan |
Point Loma |
UP |
Sr. |
L/L |
Pacific City, Ore./Lincoln |